Water and Oil
by Ciasederna
Summary: What happens when a big threat returns and an unwilling Filia gets caught in it? What if Xellos has to guide and guard her to achieve his goals?Please note that English isn't my mother tongue, so it can be that there are mistakes in the grammar or in the


Disclaimer: I do not own Slayers, though I wish I would...

Water and Oil

Chapter 1 – To make a bad situation worse

It was raining. Again. Filia Ul Copt was sitting by her window and looked into the pouring water. It had rained for six days now and since then the blonde woman stared the rain down from the sky. She was terrible bored. It's been two months now since her foster son Val decided to find his place in life and thus left the home that he knew since birth and his stepmother in the progress. Somehow she could understand him. He was old enough and also had enough power to be on his own, but still she couldn't help. She was damn lonely and she reached the point where she couldn't deny it to herself. Finally Filia stood up and walked away from the window and the dull sight nature was giving her. "Get a grip, Filia!", she mentally slapped herself. In a sudden outburst of activity she walked into her bathroom and started doing the laundry which really was necessary. After some minutes her drive was fading again. Leaving a skirt in the washing tube she stood up again, sinking back into her lethargy. She sat down again on the windowsill and started watching the raindrops falling down and forming a puddle on the ground.

Suddenly a flash of red light tore the rainy sky. Filia jumped in shock. Something was definitly happening outside, cause she heard people yelling and calling at arms. A cold shiver of foreboding ran down her spine. Just when she finished pondering if she should go out helping or if she should hide, Filia heard wood splintering. Nearby. Her face contorted into horror when she realized that it was her front door that just had shattered. Someone or something was breaking into her house. In fear she sought for her mace but soon realized that she hadn't had it with her. It was lying in her bedroom upstairs, cause she hadn't bothered to take it with her in the last weeks. She was shaking, and honestly, Filia gave away a poor sight, having not really taken care of herself past days. Her gown was creased and had some stains at its hem. Her hair was entangled and knotted, the wary expression on her face streaked by fear and her weaponless hands trembling. Honestly, she was looking like a wreck.

Then a figure appeared in the open door tht led to the living room. In comparison to Filia's uncared apperance the beauty of the woman was even more outstanding. She bore a tall and slim figure, but yet she was very womanly. Her dark ruby red lips were curled up into a slight smile while her dark eyes shot out eerie looks. She wore a tight black dress which gave more away that it hide and her long, red hair was flowing down to her ankles. Filia couldn't help but stare at the newcomer, when the woman started to speak with a deep voice that sounded almost unearthy. "I was told that Valgaav, formerly known as Val of the ancient dragons lives here. Where is he?" As she heard that, Filia was rushed over by a whole bunch of emotions. Fear, puzzlement, anger. Her voice sounded unsure, when she responded. " He isn't here anymore. He is on a journey and i can't tell you when he comes back. What do you want from him?" But the answer to that question never came. Just when Filia finished talking, the woman disappeared into thin air, leaving a stunned dragon behind.

A cloud of smoke puffed up skyward to the ceiling of the great hall. On a luxury couch was sitting a graceful and elegant woman clad in white sheets that resembled a quite skimpy grecian stile gown. Her white-silverish hair fell in soft curls over her shoulders and she was holding a long cigarette holder which held a burning cigarette. Her aura was the one of someone you wouldn't want to mess with and the frown she was wearing added perfectly to that image. That woman was definitly pissed.

Zelas hated waiting. Especially when she already got some very bad news before. It was really time to spring into action now. But first she needed her servant. Who was late. Angrily she sucked at the cigarette, watched the ash falling down and was thinking about really creative ways to punish her tardy priest. Tapping her foot impatiently on the ground she waited another minute. Finally there was a knock at the front door of the hall accompanied by the familiar astral patterns she waited for. "Enter." Zelas voice sounded more harsh then usual, but not as harsh as she felt it would be adviseable. But well, her visitor was after all a bit like family. The door opened swiftly and with a sure pace Xellos was entering. Zelas looked at her priest and her anger dissolved. The normally neat hair of the Mazoku lay in disorder and despite his steady walk Xellos looked a bit strained. A slight cleft in his robe made Zelas look up in worry. "What has happened, Xellos?" She knew, if Xellos was strained, hurt and disordered, something huge must have happened, for he was really powerful. The priest answered not straightaway, but dropped to his knee to honour his master. "Mistress Greater Beast Zelas Metallium-sama.", he regarded her. Zelas jumped gracefully up from her half-sitting position and pulled her priest gently up, maneuvering him onto the couch. "Sit down. And what has happened?" Out of concern she offered him one of his cigarettes which he accepted. Xellos looked a bit embarrassed by her fussing that way. "Mistress. It is not that bad. I am not that bad. I just had an unpleasant encounter with Phyrra. She caught me a bit off-guard. I guess she must have faked her losing of powers after her master's downfall, cause she seemed quite powerful today." Xellos spinned his staff around in his cigarette-free hand. Zelas face darkened. "Phyrra? ...then it is true." The priest looked askingly. "What is true, mistress?" Touching his shoulder, the silver-haired woman looked concerned. "Xellos, my priest. It seems like he returned." "You mean..." Xellos eyes widened as Zelas nodded. "Yes. Gaav, the demon dragon king."

Filia awakened slowly out of her state of shock. Slowly she started to inspect her house. The front door was totally beyond any repair and she saw her neighbours peering in curiously. Fixing a piece of cloth on the doorframe, Filia shut those looks out. She didn't need spectators right now. Splinters were lying around and the door handle has slided into the next room. Filia looked up and turned around again. The whole way to her kitchen looked terrible. Her coats lay spread and partly torn on the ground making Filia want to cry. She continued her tour through the house but felt more and more nauseated as she did. Everything was totally damaged, torn, mixed up. Obviously that woman had searched for someone or something in a lightning speed. Filia sank down on a almost intact chair and held her head. Not only that her house was a mess, that a lot of her possessions were broken or torn, she also worried so much for Val. Though he possessed already a great deal of skill and power, he was alone and inexperienced. Filia started crying. She felt miserable for weeks now, sickened by fear for her foster son and being lonely and now everything was over. She couldn't hold the tears back that burned in her eyes. For some moments it was impossible for her to get a grip onto herself but then she fell back into the shaky self-control she gained in the last weeks. And then Filia made a decision. She would search for Val to protect him. There was no other choice for her. If she'd stay, she'd worry herself to something worse than death. All the depression and lethargy fell off of her when she searched for a bag that survived the wreckage and made place to a fear-induced panic. Finally she pulled out a little bag out of the back corner of her trunk and began frantically packing things in. Finding the right things for the journey proved to be a bit difficult for all her gowns were either torn or had to be washed. Angrily Filia decided to buy herself new clothes when she needed them, for she had no time now to repair the fabrics or wash them. She took her mace from under her bed, gladly realizing that it had survived intact. Finally she took her purse and put all her money in. Yes, she would survive well enough on her journey, she decided as roughly counting the golden and silver coins.

Leaving her sleeping room, Filia headed for the staircase downstairs. When her feet hit the first step, she suddenly stopped dead. Something moved down there and Filia was paranoid somehow. What if now someone had come after her? Then she shook her head. Who should have an interest to harm her? She wasn't a harm to anyone. "Who is there?", Filia though sounded more timid as she intended too. She jumped when a voice in her back finally spoke calmly. "It's me, your old friend." said a voice that Filia just knew too good. Not that she hoped to ever hear it again. The blonde woman spun around on her heel and stared into a cheerful face. Mazoku. The Namagomi. Xellos. Really shocked by his sudden appearance Filia jumped a bit back to get away from the hated person. Unluckily she was standing at the rim of the staircase before and now, when jumping back, she stumbled down, not able to maintain balance. Xellos giggled cheerfully as he walked down to Filia who tried to disentangle herself. "You haven't changed much. Not at all. You are still the most entertaining person I know. Such little stunts prove that time and time again." Filia scowled at him and anger was streaking her voice when she spoke. "What in the world are you doing HERE?" The lilac-haired priest looked somehow big though his eyes never opened. "Can't friends just visit each other?" Filia gritted her teeth. Five minutes here and the Mazoku already made her blood boil. "Friends can. But we are no friends!" Xellos decided to ignore the last comment. "So this is your place? It shows quite much of your household abilities..." He gathered up a bunch of flowers which were scattered on the floor in a puddle of water and shards of the vase which was broken. He smelled the scent of the pink flowers and scanned the woman in front of him. Being a great observer he recognized her state at once, mildly wondering what has happened that made her so careless about herself. That didn't fit to the dragon he once knew. Her dress was a mess, he mused to himself. Her hair would need serious combing to be unfelted again and the bags under her eyes didn't make the overall picture better. "Namagomi!", Filia snapped and tried to escape his scanning looks. "What do you want? Do you have something to do with that?", Filia pointed accusingly at the broken vase. Xellos lifted his hand smiling apologetically. "No. No. That wasn't my work, though I admire the handiwork. Nice devastation level, I must say." Filia's eyebrow twitched irritated. "And what I want? Well, to be honest, I am not here cause of you. I want to have a talk to your stepson." The eyes of the dragon maiden widened. "Why does everybody want to talk to him today?" she exclaimed desperately. "Who else?", came the instant reply from the priest. "He is not here." Filia sounded very wary, but couldn't stop herself from shooting an ugly glance at Xellos. She stood up then and gathered her bag. Xellos smiled. "And as you are about to search him..." he said as in thoughts, "I guess I will accompany you." Filia turned towards him again and glared at the Mazoku. "You won't. I forbid you!" Lazily Xellos opened one of his eyes. "Well, it will be fun to watch you trying to stop me from that."


End file.
